Hmm. You have some valid points, but I see the show's target audience as young children, and that's where my negativity comes in. I don't see why grown people are so obsessed with the show, and that's the root of my hating.
I thought liking the show was weird too when I first heard about it. I only knew what came before it. That was horrific. I gave it a shot to see if it was a hit or a miss. For me it was a hit because it was well made and funny. It even called itself out at times for doing stereotypical things and treated them as weird, like any of us would.
Anyone with a sense of humor can get the humor of the show. And a few jokes which will sail right over kids heads but will probably make the rest of us out there choke on our coffee laughing. I can't explain it nearly as well as this guy can: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBau-x7dQ6Q
It's not so much the show as the Brony community. The show is enjoyed by Bronies and Bronies create OCs and original content based on the show. Anything that's appeared to have 'taken the internet by storm' is really mostly because the community is a figurative neon sign to the rest of the internet saying we are who we are and we like what we like, whether you like it or not. People look at the show from the perspective of not seeing it for themselves and enjoying it and just look at the community that does like it as a mystery. In actuality to ask why MLP:FIM is so on fire on the internet is to also ask why other cartoons are so popular as to have a large diverse following without diving into it head first and really seeing the whole picture from the inside out. To really explain it based on your 'stop trying to ponify everything' sig, the way it works a lot of the time is is Bronies, or just fans of MLP make MLP content and even merch. From there it's on the internet and is either shared by other fans, rocketed into the spotlight by super fans (which every fandom has) or thrown into the spotlight with a negative spin on it by haters who for whatever reason don't like Bronies and the show. A lot of Bronies and fans are laid back, get together and talk about the show with other fans. But for the large portion of the time keep to ourselves outside of our Brony circles. Personally, I 'ponify' my own stuff because the show is an interest of mine just as anything else. And I'll shake it up with other stuff. I could just as easily put something from Soul Eater, Portal, World of Tanks, or something else I'm into on my stuff. Or even do combos of stuff (Bronies aren't one dimensional people. We have a wide array of other interests).I put up pony stuff because I'm a Brony and I like being a Brony. And so I can say I'm a Brony and maybe meet and talk to other people with a mutual enjoyment of the show and fandom. I'd really have to say watch some episodes, (My personal recommendation are episodes like Bridle Gossip, Lesson Zero, and Read it and Weep.) read some fan fiction, (GOOD fanfiction. There's a lot of poorly written stuff out there. Trust me. Some good fics are stories like Past Sins and The Flight of the Alicorn) and get to know the different aspects of the community if you're really curious. I can sit here and type till my keyboard breaks but it's really no substitute for seeing it yourself.
